At our June 2022 Radical Pedagogy Institute Convening, we explored four curriculum bills that currently exist in the state of New Jersey. Three of those bills might be described as bills to celebrate the culture and contributions of certain historically marginalized (but resilient) groups. The fourth might be seen as a broader anti-bias education bill. A brief summary of the four bills as well as a slides showing the history of each bill are included below,

Bills Celebrating of Culture and Contributions

Amistad Act (P.L. 2020) and Commission

The Amistad Act, originally passed in 2002, was named “in honor of the group of enslaved Africans led by Joseph Cinque who, while being transported in 1839 on a vessel named the Amistad, gained their freedom after overthrowing the crew and eventually having their case successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court.” The Act was most recently updated in 2021 and states that

a. Every board of education shall include, in the curriculum of all elementary and secondary school students, instruction that infuses into all courses on the United States, the centuries of accomplishments by African Americans in the building and development of America including, but not limited to, the areas of industry, military, government, and the professions; local communities; math, science, medicine, and space; architecture and the arts; social institutions and culture; and other aspects of life in America.
b. The instruction shall enable students to identify and analyze applicable theories concerning human nature and behavior; to know and understand the nation’s heritage of slavery and freedom; to know and understand the impact of African diasporic cultures and institutions on the Americas; to know and understand the contributions of African Americans to all areas of American society throughout its history, beginning with the colonial period; to know and understand that inequality is a consequence of prejudice and discrimination in the pursuit of maintaining power and dominance over certain portions of society; to know and understand citizenship and disenfranchisement; and to understand that issues of moral dilemma and conscience have a profound impact on the nation and the self-image and self- realization of its entire population, especially the personal and civic development of students in grades kindergarten through 12. The instruction shall also emphasize the personal responsibility of each citizen to fight racism and hatred whenever and wherever it happens and to uphold the national ideals of freedom and justice for all

The act also creates the Amistad Commission, which is in but not of the Department of Education and funded by a separate line item in State’s budget. The goals of the Amistad Commission are as follows:

1. To infuse the history of Africans and African-Americans into the social studies curriculum in order to provide an accurate, complete and inclusive history.
2. To ensure that New Jersey teachers are equipped to effectively teach the revised social studies core curriculum content standards.
3. To create and coordinate workshops, seminars, institutes, memorials and events which raise public awareness about the importance of the history of African-Americans to the growth and development of American society in global context.

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Inclusion Act and Commission

The AAPI Inclusion Act was passed in January 2022 and will go into effect for the 2022-2023 School Year.

a. A board of education shall include instruction on the history and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in an appropriate place in the curriculum of students in grades kindergarten through 12 as part of the school district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Social Studies.
b. A board of education shall have policies and procedures in place pertaining to the selection of instructional materials to implement the requirements of section a. of this section. When adopting instructional materials for use in the school district, a board of education shall adopt inclusive instructional materials that portray the cultural and economic diversity of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
c. A board of education shall seek the assistance and advice of the Commission on Asian Heritage established pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2021, c.410 (C.18A:4-52) in fulfilling the requirements of this section.

A second act also creates the AAPI Commission, which is in but not of the Department of Education (with line item in the budget) and has a similar goal as that of the Amistad Commission (but with a focus on AAPI history, culture, and contributions)

LGBT and Disability History and Inclusion Act

The LGBT and Disability History Inclusion Act was passed in January 2019 and was to take effect in the 2020-2021 School Year. The act states:

1. A board of education shall include instruction on the political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, in an appropriate place in the curriculum of middle school and high school students as part of the district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.

2. A board of education shall have policies and procedures in place pertaining to the selection of instructional materials to implement the requirements of section 1 of this act. When adopting instructional materials for use in the schools of the district, a board of education shall adopt inclusive instructional materials that portray the cultural and economic diversity of society including the political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, where appropriate.

No governing body or procedure was created to oversee the implementation of this act.

Anti-Bias Education Bills

Diversity and Inclusion Act

The Diversity and Inclusion Act was passed in March 2021 and was to take effect in the 2021-20212 School Year. The act states:

a. Beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, each school district shall incorporate instruction on diversity and inclusion in an appropriate place in the curriculum of students in grades kindergarten through 12 as part of the district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.
b. The instruction shall:
(1) highlight and promote diversity, including economic diversity, equity, inclusion, tolerance, and belonging in connection with gender and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, disabilities, and religious tolerance; (2) examine the impact that unconscious bias and economic disparities have at both an individual level and on society as a whole; and (3) encourage safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments for all students regardless of race or ethnicity, sexual and gender identities, mental and physical disabilities, and religious beliefs.
c. The Commissioner of Education shall provide school districts with sample learning activities and resources designed to promote diversity and inclusion.